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This study conducts a comparative assessment of subjective experience of real-world and simulated world driving for investigating factors leading to simulator sickness. Thirty professional car drivers drove a fixed-base driving simulator in real and simulated worlds under No Time Pressure (NTP) and Time Pressure (TP) driving conditions. Drivers rated their perceptions based on real-world driving and simulator driving experiences after each driving session with respect to three factors: simulator sickness, mental workload, and sense of presence. The structural equation model results revealed that drivers experienced high mental workload due to TP driving conditions (factor loading = 0.90) and repeated exposure to simulated world (factor loading = 0.20) which induced simulator sickness (factor loading = 0.41) and resulted in low sense of presence (factor loading = -0.18). Thus, it can be concluded that lack of experience with virtual reality induced high simulator sickness, increased mental workload, and low sense of presence.

In India, over 25,000 pedestrian fatalities occur due to road crashes every year. While several studies have identified possible causative factors that contribute to these fatalities, little is known about how pedestrians perceive their surrounding environment. This study attempts to bridge this gap by analysing the pedestrian perception of the built environment and traffic-related aspects considering urban roads (arterial and sub-arterial). Fourteen parameters were selected to assess pedestrian perception, and four factors were derived through factor analysis. The obtained factor scores were then subjected to two-step cluster analysis to determine whether pedestrian perception is different for people from different socio-economic demographics with varying travel behaviour. Based on the results obtained from the descriptive analysis, the respondents were most satisfied with the 'quality of streetlights at sidewalks' and 'visibility/sight distances', while they were most dissatisfied with 'pedestrian volume at sidewalks' and 'lighting facilities at crossings'. From the cluster analysis, it can be summarized that female pedestrians walk less frequently than males and perceive a higher probability of collision or near-collision incidents against male pedestrians. The study findings can aid the policymakers in the assessment of the pedestrian perception of the existing road infrastructure and suggest improvements to ensure pedestrian safety.

Mobile phone distraction is a significant contributor to pedestrian injuries. However, mobile phone engagement among pedestrians has been scarcely explored in a developing country like India. The present study utilized the beliefs-based theory of planned behaviour to examine the association between pedestrian beliefs towards distracted walking (behavioural, normative, and control) and their mobile phone use frequencies. Based on a survey of 560 pedestrians (64.6% males), it was found that the major use of mobile phones was for listening to music (30.7%), followed by receiving a call (25%), making a call (18.9%), texting (9.8%), navigation (8.5%) and internet browsing (7.1%). A series of multivariate ANOVAs and logistic regression models were developed to investigate the relationships between the beliefs and frequencies of mobile phone use in hands-free and hand-held conditions. Significant multivariate differences were found for behavioural and normative beliefs in hands-free conditions and all three types of beliefs in hand-held conditions. The frequency of mobile phone use was significantly predicted by normative beliefs (

Introduction-Atrial brillation is characterized by disorganized, rapid and irregular atrial activation with loss of atrial contraction and an irregular ventricular rate determined by atrio-ventricular nodal conduction. Atrial brillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia and major public health problems. The present study aimed to nd out possible underlying etiologies for atrial brillation. Method- In this study, total of 100 patients of age >18 years with patients with clinically and electrocardiographically proven atrial brillation were included. However, patients of age

In the past thirty years, alcohol influence on drivers has been widely researched using driving simulators across the world. However, a critical evaluation of the existing evidence is required to project the current status and provide directions for future investigations. The present study conducts a comprehensive systematic review of the research examining the effects of alcohol on simulated driving performance. The literature search was conducted in academic databases such as Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Transportation Research Information Database (TRID), PubMed, and Web of science. In total, 1015 articles were identified from the initial database search along with 14 additional articles from other sources (Articles Plus, Cochrane Library, Medline, National Technical Information Services, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Medline Grey Literature Report), out of which 110 articles were included in the systematic review. The majority of the studies were conducted in the United States of America (45%), followed by Australia (15%). These studies were reviewed based on the following aspects: type of driving simulator, study design, Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) or alcohol dose used in the experiments, driving environment characteristics, driving performance measures, data analysis techniques, and additional factors affecting driver behaviour under the influence of alcohol. Overall, the evidence regarding driving performance under the influence of alcohol shows that the majority of the previous studies have found a significant impact of alcohol on the various aspects of driving behaviour. The systematic review highlighted the methodological limitations observed in the previous driving simulator studies which should be acknowledged in future research.

COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the transportation sector across the world. Implementation of lockdown (that includes restricted travel activities) is a prevention strategy executed by various governments to minimize the spread of COVID-19. India went into complete lockdown from 25th March 2020; however, change in commuter’s travel behavior was observed from the third week of March (termed as transition to lockdown) due to pandemic fear. In total 1945 participants participated in the travel behaviour survey and their responses with respect to work-based and non-work-based trips during transition period were analysed to understand their adaptation towards COVID-19. The study also attempted to quantify the effects of influencing factors which can explain change in the commuters’ travel behaviour. The findings revealed that one-year increment in traveller’s age had 2% reduced probability of no travel during transition than pre-transition. For non-work-related travel, chances of lower travel frequency were significantly greater during the transition period as compared to pre-transition. Compared to the non-essential trips, the chances of reduced travel frequency for the essential trips were found to be lower by 92%. By examining these behavioural changes, the present study aims to assist the policymakers in understanding the dynamics of fluctuating travel demand with respect to trip purpose during pandemic situations like COVID-19.

Alcohol-impairment of drivers has significant influence on road traffic safety; however, no experimental research has been conducted on the lateral driving control of Indian drivers. Therefore, the present study investigates the effects of different Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels (0%, 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08%) and driver attributes on the lane positioning and steering control of Indian drivers.A driving simulator experiment was designed where 82 adult licensed drivers (62 males, 20 females) completed driving on the simulated urban arterial road environment under the influence of varying BACs. Lateral driving performance measures associated with lane positioning (lane position variability) and steering control of drivers (steering angle variability and steering reversal rates (SRR)) were analyzed.The findings reported that lane position variability was significantly influenced only at 0.08% BAC (5.8% increment); no significant influence was observed at 0.03% and 0.05% BACs. Compared to 0% BAC, steering angle variability increased by 0.105 degrees or 15.7%, 0.142 degrees or 21.4%, and 0.176 degrees or 25.7% at 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08% BACs respectively. No significant differences were observed between the sober-state driving and alcohol-impaired driving at 1In conclusion, the outcomes of this study provide novel insights into the alcohol-impaired lateral vehicle control of Indian drivers which can assist in policy interventions aiming to reduce crashes with alcohol as a major crash causation factor.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the leading complications of type-2 diabetes mellitus. It is associated with neuropathy and peripheral arterial disease of the lower limb in patients with diabetes. There are four stages of wound healing, namely hemostasis phase, inflammatory phase, proliferative phase and maturation phase. In the case of DFU, all these stages are disturbed which lead to delay in healing and consequently to lower limb amputation. Conventional dosage forms like tablets, creams, ointments, gels and capsules have been used for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer for many years. Introduction: In this review, the global prevalence as well as etiopathogenesis related to diabetic foot ulcer have been discussed. The potential role of various synthetic and herbal drugs, as well as their conventional dosage forms in the effective management of DFU have been discussed in detail. Methods: Structured search of bibliographic databases from previously published peer-reviewed research papers was explored and data has been represented in terms of various approaches that are used for the treatment of DFU. Results: About 148 papers, including both research and review articles, were included in this review to produce a comprehensive as well as a readily understandable article. A series of herbal and synthetic drugs have been discussed along with their current status of treatment in terms of dose and mechanism of action. Conclusion: DFU has become one of the most common complications in patients having diabetes for more than ten years. Hence, understanding the root cause and its successful treatment is a big challenge because it depends upon multiple factors such as the judicious selection of drugs as well as proper control of blood sugar level. Most of the drugs that have been used so far either belong to the category of antibiotics, antihyperglycaemic or they have been repositioned. In clinical practice, much focus has been given to dressings that have been used to cover the ulcer. The complete treatment of DFU is still a farfetched dream to be achieved and it is expected that combination therapy of herbal and synthetic drugs with multiple treatment pathways could be able to offer better management of DFU.

Background: Diabetes is a multifactorial disease and a major cause for many microvascular and macrovascular complications. The disease will ultimately lead to high rate mortality if it is not managed properly. Treatment of diabetes without any side effects has always remained a major challenge for health care practitioners. Introduction: The current review discusses the various conventional drugs, herbal drugs, combination therapy and the use of nutraceuticals for the effective management of diabetes mellitus. The biotechnological aspects of various antidiabetic drugs are also discussed. Methods: Structured search of bibliographic databases for previously published peer-reviewed research papers was explored and data was sorted in terms of various approaches that are used for the treatment of diabetes. Results: More than 170 papers including both research and review articles, were included in this review in order to produce a comprehensive and easily understandable article. A series of herbal and synthetic drugs have been discussed along with their current status of treatment in terms of dose, mechanism of action and possible side effects. The article also focuses on combination therapies containing synthetic as well as herbal drugs to treat the disease. The role of pre and probiotics in the management of diabetes is also highlighted. Conclusion: Oral antihyperglycemics which are used to treat diabetes can cause many adverse effects and if given in combination, can lead to drug-drug interactions. The combination of various phytochemicals with synthetic drugs can overcome the challenge faced by the synthetic drug treatment. Herbal and nutraceuticals therapy and the use of probiotics and prebiotics are a more holistic therapy due to their natural origin and traditional use.

We, the Editor and Publisher of Traffic Injury Prevention, have retracted the following article:Ankit Kumar Yadav. Psychological predictors behind the intention to drink and drive among female drivers: Application of extended theory of planned behavior. Traffic Injury Prevention. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2019.1703961.The author has requested the retraction of his article due to an error in one of the collected psychological measures. During data extraction, the responses for 'attitude' and 'intention' measures were switched and may have influenced the findings from the developed regression model and its results. As a result, the Editor and Publisher have agreed to retract the article in full.We have investigated and have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as "Retracted".

The aim of present study was to introduce the role of quality by design to produce curcumin crystals with enhanced dissolution rate and bioavailability. The liquid antisolvent method was used to pr...

OBJECTIVE Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is a significant threat to traffic safety worldwide, but little is known about the motivational factors behind the willingness to drink and drive especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India. The present study applied an extended version of prototype willingness model (PWM) to investigate the factors predicting the willingness to drink and drive. METHODS One hundred and forty-three participants (77% males) responded to an online survey in India. The survey included the standard PWM constructs such as attitudes, subjective norms, prototype similarity and prototype favourability. Additionally, the measures of traffic fatalism and risk-perceptions were also incorporated to examine their effects on the willingness to drink and drive. RESULTS The hierarchical regression model showed that the PWM constructs explained 84% of the variance in willingness to drink and drive. When the additional measures (traffic fatalism and risk perception) were included along with the PWM variables, it resulted in an increase of additional 2% of the variance in explaining the willingness, thereby leading to a total of 86%. In both the steps, the variable "attitudes" was found to be the strongest predictor of willingness to drink and drive. CONCLUSIONS This study is first of its kind to evaluate the effectiveness of PWM model in Indian scenario for understanding the willingness to engage in the act of drunk driving. The study findings may prove useful to the stakeholders of educational and awareness programs, where the focus is required to be aimed at attitudes, subjective norms, prototype similarity and fatalistic beliefs of the drivers.

Here, we report two novel water-stable amine-functionalized MOFs, namely IISERP-MOF26 ([NH2 (CH3 )2 ][Cu2 O(Ad)(BDC)]⋅(H2 O)2 (DMA), 1) and IISERP-MOF27 ([NH2 (CH3 )2 ]1/2 [Zn4 O(Ad)3 (BDC)2 ]⋅(H2 O)2 (DMF)1/2 , 2), which show selective CO2 capture capabilities. They are made by combining inexpensive and readily available terephthalic acid and N-rich adenine with Cu and Zn, respectively. They possess 1D channels decorated by the free amine group from the adenine and the polarizing oxygen atoms from the terephthalate units. Even more, there are dimethyl ammonium (DMA+ ) cations in the pore rendering an electrostatic environment within the channels. The activated Cu- and Zn-MOFs physisorb about 2.7 and 2.2 mmol g-1 of CO2 , respectively, with high CO2 /N2 and moderate CO2 /CH4 selectivity. The calculated heat of adsorption (HOA=21-23 kJ mol-1 ) for the CO2 in both MOFs suggest optimal physical interactions which corroborate well with their facile on-off cycling of CO2 . Notably, both MOFs retain their crystallinity and porosity even after soaking in water for 24 hours as well as upon exposure to steam over 24 hours. The exceptional thermal and chemical stability, favorable CO2 uptakes and selectivity and low HOA make these MOFs promising sorbents for selective CO2 capture applications. However, the MOF's low heat of adsorption despite having a highly CO2 -loving groups lined walls is quite intriguing.

Fe2+ is vital to O2 transportation and photosynthesis regulated by oxidases and reductases. On the other hand, Fe3+ is detrimental due to its irreversible binding to O2. Hence there is a need for selective identification of Fe3+ from aqueous systems in the presence of Fe2+. However, given their close chemical nature, it is not straightforward to differentiate them. Fe2+ and Fe3+ are typically sensed and differentiated using magnetic measurements, Mossbauer, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, or EXAFS, which are complex and equipment intensive techniques. In comparison, the fluorescence technique is advantageous in terms of time and accessibility. Although readily available lanthanide salts exhibit fluorescence, they are weak, and to serve as an optical probe, their luminescence has to be enhanced via ligand design. Hence we have designed a chromophoric ligand that can covalently bind to lanthanides and enhance its fluorescence intensity, and it binds selectively to Fe3+ through its nitrogen centers. It detect...

Driving under the influence of alcohol impairs the driving performance and increases the crash risks worldwide. The present study investigated the effect of different Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BAC) on the reaction time of Indian drivers of two age groups (Young: less than 25 years; Mature: 25 years and above) through a driving simulator experiment. Reaction times were measured for the two hazardous events: (1) pedestrian crossing event and (2) road crossing event by parked vehicles. Seventy nine licensed drivers drove on the driving simulator under the influence of four BAC levels (0.00%, 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08%). To analyse the reaction times, two Weibull AFT (Accelerated Failure Time) models with gamma frailty were developed for both the events separately by incorporating the different alcohol conditions and driver characteristics (such as driver’s age, driving experience and frequent consumption of alcohol) as the explanatory variables. It was observed that the BAC levels of 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08% resulted in 36%, 53% and 94% increment in the reaction times of the drivers for the pedestrian crossing event and 64%, 78% and 116% increment in the reaction times for road crossing event by the parked vehicles respectively. A year increase in the driving experience resulted in 2% reduction in the reaction times, and mature drivers responded 15% faster than the young drivers. Interestingly, frequent drinkers showed 11% quicker response than the drivers who drink rarely. Overall, the results showed that the stimulus-response behaviour of the drivers was impaired in all the intoxicated states. The research findings may assist the countermeasure studies and policy-making against alcohol-impaired driving.

Objective: The present study examines the accelerating and braking behaviors of drivers at different blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) in heterogeneous driving conditions using driving simulator experiments. Methods: Eighty-two licensed drivers performed simulated driving in a rural road environment designed in the driving simulator at 4 BAC levels: 0.00, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.08%. Driving performance was analyzed using vehicle control variables such as mean acceleration and mean brake pedal force. Generalized linear mixed models were developed to quantify the effect of different alcohol levels and explanatory variables such as driver’s age, gender, and other factors on the driving performance indicators. Results: Alcohol use was reported as a significant factor affecting the accelerating and braking performance of drivers. The acceleration model results indicated that drivers’ mean acceleration increased by 0.013, 0.026, and 0.027 m/s2 for BAC levels of 0.03, 0.05, and 0.08%, respectively. Results of the brake pedal force model showed that drivers’ mean brake pedal force increased by 1.09, 1.32, and 1.44 N for BAC levels of 0.03, 0.05, and 0.08%, respectively. Age was a significant factor in both the models where a 1-year increase in driver age resulted in a 0.2% reduction in mean acceleration and a 19% reduction in mean brake pedal force. Driving experience could compensate for the negative effects of alcohol to some extent while driving. Conclusions: The findings of the present study revealed that drivers tend to be more aggressive and impulsive under the influence of alcohol, which deteriorates their driving performance. Impairment in accelerating and braking behaviors of drivers under the influence of alcohol leads to increased crash probabilities. The conclusions may provide reference in making countermeasures against drinking and driving and contribute to traffic safety.

Speed compliance of drivers plays a significant role in influencing crash risks, and remains a major road safety issue. Majority of the speed compliance behavioral studies have been conducted in the western world; relatively little knowledge is available about the speed compliance of the drivers of developing nations. The present study aims to investigate the speed compliance behavior of Indian drivers in changing driving environment, and to identify the significant predictors influencing their speed compliance.The driving scenario (consisting of rural and urban driving environments) representing heterogenous Indian driving conditions was designed on a driving simulator where eighty-two licensed drivers completed the driving task. Driver attributes (demographics and driving characteristics) were recorded with the help of a self-reported questionnaire. Speed compliance of drivers was estimated as an indication of the difference of driving speed from the posted speed limit of a particular driving environment, averaged over the duration of driving. The low speed difference indicated better speed compliance of drivers and vice-versa. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was developed using speed difference as the dependent variable along with driving environments and driver attributes as predictor variables.Speed compliance of drivers was found to be better in urban driving environment compared to rural driving environment, indicating that drivers were less able to adapt to the corresponding speed limits in rural environment. Drivers' age was positively associated with the speed compliance. For male drivers, speed compliance was found to be lower than the female drivers. Compared to the drivers who studied till their secondary education, speed compliances of post-graduate and graduate drivers were found to be better. Moreover, driving experience was observed as a negative predictor of speed compliance. Drivers who had prior crash history were found to have better speed compliance compared to the other drivers. Other predictors such as vehicle type and preferred time of driving did not show any significant influence on the speed compliance of drivers.This is the first exploratory study which investigated the speed compliance behavior of Indian drivers. Findings of the present study may assist the road safety strategies and policy interventions in reducing the speed-related crashes.

Pedestrians at high-speed midblock crossings with the intention to cross the road usually face safety risks due to difficulty in judging the available gaps. The risk to pedestrians is high in developing nations like India since priorities are not respected by road users. Moreover, the non-yielding vehicular traffic puts pedestrians at further risk. While crossing the road, pedestrians are clear about rejecting small gaps and accepting the large gaps, however, they experience a dilemma between the small and large gaps.This study attempts to model the dilemma zone for pedestrians intending to cross the high-speed roads (posted speed limit of 60 km/h). The field data were collected using high-definition video cameras at two uncontrolled midblock crossings, each in the cities of Mumbai and Kolhapur, located in the southwestern part of India. The variations in the spatial gap acceptance behavior were analyzed for 1,107 pedestrian observations using binary logit models.The findings revealed that the length and the distribution of the dilemma zone were significantly affected by the speed of the approaching vehicle and the distance from it. Moreover, the influence of vehicle type (truck, car, or two-wheeler), pedestrian type (walking alone or in a group), crossing speed, and waiting time also influenced pedestrians' gap acceptance behavior. Interestingly, pedestrians' gender did not play a significant role in their road crossing decisions.Overall, the study identified the dilemma zone boundaries that will help pedestrians to judge the safe gaps while crossing, and in turn, reduce the probability of pedestrian-vehicle crashes. Practical Application: The proposed dilemma zone intends to protect the pedestrians by assisting in making precise crossing decisions at high-speed midblock crossings.

In last two decades, the installation of photovoltaic module is increasing recklessly and cost reduction is main factor in competition for large amount of energy generation. For feeding the maximum power to load from PV panel, the DC-DC converter is associated between PV module and load. The proposed topology using three level (TL boost converter for maximum power generation has specific characteristics such as to maintain high efficiency at medium voltage and high-power PV fed converter. The superiority of three level boost converter as compare to conventional DC-DC converter are less size of input inductor and voltage stress across switches. In this paper, the perturb and observation (P&O) MPPT control technique are used for extracting maximum power from solar PV panel and to controlling the duty cycle of switches used in TL boost converter. The realization of proposed system is completely done through MATLAB Simulink platform. The detailed operational analysis of three level (TL) boost converter is also carried out.

innovation of FACTS devises is the new trend to solve the power quality issues in the power system. In present time many flexible controller are emerging for power system application. SVC (static VAR compensator), TCPST (thermistor controlled phase shifting transformer), SSSC (static synchronous series compensator), UPFC (unified power flow controller), etc. are used in power quality improvement. In this paper unified power quality conditioning system is efficient to make up supply voltage and load current in multi-bus system. In the layout of MC-UPQC, one shunt and two series VSCs included. The VSCs are connected with common DC-link. M C- UPQC is an effective device for PQ issues in custom power application. The power quality improvement is analyzed with the comparison of the value of THD of proposed and without proposed.

Objective: Driving errors contribute to traffic crashes and thus the causal factors associated with driving errors are of great interest to the road safety researchers. The present study attempts to identify and quantify the effects of various risk factors that are likely to influence driving error with the application of structural equation modeling (SEM). These risk factors include blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels (0%, 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08%), different driving environments (rural, urban), and driver attributes (such as age, gender, education). Method: Eighty-two licensed drivers participated in a driving simulator experiment. They completed driving under the influence of 4 BAC levels in the driving environments within the framework of a full-factorial within-subjects design. Driving error was modeled as an unobserved latent variable based on several driving simulator indicators. An SEM approach was utilized to examine the influence of BAC level, driving environment, and driver attributes on the latent variable pertaining to driving error. Results: The findings suggest the suitability of an SEM approach in the investigation of driving error. The results revealed that all 3 positive BACs (0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08%) had a significant positive influence on driving error compared to 0% BAC, and the tendency toward driving error increased with increasing BAC (factor loadings for 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08% BAC were 0.22, 0.31, and 0.37, respectively). Moreover, driving in an urban environment led to more driving errors compared to a rural environment, including sober drivers. Among the driver attributes, gender and awareness about drink and drive laws were the only factors influencing driving error. Conclusion: This study highlights a novel approach to investigate driving error by modeling it as a latent variable instead of modeling individual performance measures. The successful execution of SEM in alcohol impairment research may serve as a significant step in the human factors field moving from piecemeal analysis to a combined analysis where interrelationships among numerous risk factors and driving error can be established. The study outcomes may serve as a reference while developing strategies to enhance road traffic safety where special emphasis can be given to the critical risk factors influencing driving error identified in the study.

Driving error is an intrinsic component of unsafe driving behaviour. Even though alcohol results in substantial crash fatalities on Indian roads, there is hardly any evidence-based research on alcohol impairment in the driving errors of Indian drivers. The present study examined the effects of differentiated Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels (0%, 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08%) on the driving errors of Indian drivers. 82 volunteers participated in the driving simulator study and drove in rural and urban environments in a randomized and counterbalanced order. Generalized negative binomial regression models were developed for longitudinal and lateral driving error measures. Compared to the sober state, the increments in speed limit violations were 53%, 138% and 143% in rural driving environment, and 68%, 89%, 95% in urban driving environment at 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08% BACs. While 0.03% and 0.05% BACs did not significantly influence the lane excursions in rural environment, 0.08% BAC resulted in 107% increment; corresponding increments were 71%, 84%, and 148% in urban environment. In rural environment, 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08% BACs resulted in 28%, 39% and 58% increments in low RPM frequencies (RPM 5000). In urban environment, the increments were 35%, 56% and 71% for low RPMs at 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08% BACs; whereas, for high RPMs, the increments at 0.05% and 0.08% BACs were 45% and 67% respectively (no significant influence of 0.03% BAC). The study identified the significant risk factors influencing driving errors, thereby sketching the risky driving profiles.

In the present study application of Modified Apple Polysaccharide (MAP) as tablet binder was evaluated. Liquid MAP was extracted from apple and solidified by adsorbing it on porous surface of Aerosil-200 and trehalose and this dispersion was dried using spray dryer. The concentration of excipients as well as spray drying conditions was optimised by using Box Behnken Design to achieve desirable powder characteristics. The optimised batch of solid MAP was characterized by DSC, PXRD, SEM, and FT-IR studies that confirmed complete adsorption of liquid MAP on the surface of Aerosil-200 and trehalose. This solid MAP was investigated for its binding efficacy for tablet formulation and its binding potential was compared with acacia and polyvinyl pyrrolidone K-30. Mesalamine (model drug) granules containing different concentration of binders were prepared by wet granulation. The granules were evaluated for micromeritic properties and results were found within the pharmacopoeial limits. The prepared tablets were subjected for post compression studies such as hardness, friability, disintegration, dissolution, physical stability, content uniformity and percentage elastic recovery and their results were found good. At 2.5% w/w concentration in tablet, the solid MAP has shown shorter disintegration time and faster dissolution profile as compared to other concentrations used including good physico-mechanical properties.

In the present study, different solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) was formulated by using porous hydrophilic and hydrophobic carriers to improve the dissolution rate and bioavailability of simvastatin (SIM). The prepared liquid-SNEDDS composed of Labrafil M 1944 CS/ Tween-80/ Ethanol (20% / 53.33%/26.67% v/v) with 0.1% SIM, resulted droplet size of 40.69 nm. The hydrophobic carriers used were Aerosil-200, Syloid 244FP, Syloid XDP 3150, Magnesium stearate, Micro Crystalline Cellulose PH102 and lactose and hydrophilic carriers used were Poly vinyl alcohol, Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. These S-SNEDDS were characterized through micromeritic, biopharmaceutical studies and stability studies. The spray dried S-SNEDDS prepared by using Aerosil 200 as hydrophobic carrier provided nanoemulsions with unchanged droplet size and drug release when subjected at different stress conditions such as thermodynamic stress and freeze thaw cycles. In vitro dissolution studies revealed that the L-SNEDDS and S-SNEDDS of Aerosil 200 were found to be remarkably superior over the unprocessed SIM and marketed SIM. Scanning electron microscope, Differential scanning calorimeter and Powder X-Ray Diffraction revealed crystalline SIM was present in a changed amorphous state in the SNEDDS formulations prepared with Aerosil 200 as carrier. Further, pharmacokinetic study carried out on rats revealed 0.5 h increase in time for maximal concentration (Tmax), 3.75 folds increase in maximal concentration (Cmax), 1.22 h increase in mean residence time, 1.54 folds increase in area under curve (AUC0-t), 2.10 folds increase in AUC0-∞ and 3.28 folds increase in bioavailability confirms that the developed S-SNEDDS were superior than that of marketed formulation. Hence, it can be safely concluded that Aerosil 200 based S-SNEDDS were able to provide improvement in dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of SIM.

Background Polysaccharide based delivery systems have been successfully used to target drugs to colon. In some recent reports, the superiority of concomitant administration of probiotics with such systems has been established. However, the pharmacokinetics of such symbiotic therapy remain unexplored hitherto. Methods This study deciphers the pharmacokinetic parameters of guar gum based colon targeted spheroids of sulfasalazine with co-administration of probiotics in experimental rats. Thirty rats were divided into five groups using Latin square design. These were subjected to treatment with delayed release formulation, uncoated spheroids, coated spheroid and coated spheroids along with probiotics. Results In case of delayed release formulation, negligible presence of sulfasalazine in plasma was observed in first 2h, followed by significant increase in sulfasalazine concentration after 3h. Higher plasma concentrations of sulfasalazine were detected for uncoated spheroids with and without probiotics. Negligible release of drug upto 5h and delayed Tmax in case of guar-gum coated sulfasalazine spheroids with or without probiotics clearly indicated successful formulation of colon targeted spheroids. Further, for coated spheroids (both with and without probiotics), the value of Tmax is found to be significantly higher than those with the other treatments. Conclusion Colon targeted spheroids were therefore, found to reduce absorption of drug which, in turn, is expected to reduce the side effects as only local action in colon is required for treatment of colitis. This is the first report on pharmacokinetic study of a colon targeted delivery system co-administered with probiotics.

Braking performance of drivers is a crucial factor in evaluating the collision patterns and implementing road safety measures. Further, alcohol is known to impair driving control. The present study aims to examine the influence of a comprehensive range of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels (0%, 0.03 %, 0.05 % and 0.08 %) on brake transition times of drivers. As young drivers show significantly higher crash risks compared to the experienced drivers, fifty-four young Indian drivers in the age group of 21-25 years (forty males and fourteen females) participated in the driving simulator experiments. The study adopted the framework of a within-subjects design, where each driver encountered rural and urban driving scenarios in a counterbalanced order, during experimental driving at each of the four BAC levels. Their brake transition times were estimated with respect to sudden pedestrian crossing events. Weibull Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) models with shared frailty were developed for quantifying the effects of BAC levels along with driver attributes on brake transition time. Preliminary analysis showed significant main effects of BAC (p0.001) and driving environment (p = 0.002) on brake transition time; however, their interaction effect was not significant (p = 0.485). The models revealed that 0.03 %, 0.05 % and 0.08 % BACs significantly reduced the brake transition times by 16 %, 28 % and 52 % in rural driving environment, and by 23 %, 37 % and 53 % in urban driving environment, compared to 0% BAC. The study outcomes may find application in assisting collision warning systems which take into account the braking behaviour of drivers.

Development of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) of polypeptide-k (PPK) is reported with the aim to achieve its oral delivery. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was adopted to develop and optimize the composition of SNEDDS. Oleoyl polyoxyl-6 glycerides (A), Tween 80 (B), and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (C) were used as oil, surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively as independent variables. The effect of variation in their composition was observed on the mean droplet size (y1), polydispersity index (PDI) (y2), % drug loading (y3) and zeta potential (y4). As per the optimal design, seventeen SNEDDS prototypes were prepared. The optimized composition of SNEDDS formulation was 25% v/v Oleoyl polyoxyl-6 glycerides, 37% v/v Tween 80, 38% v/v diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and 3% w/v PPK. The optimized formulation revealed values of y1, y2, y3, and y4 as 31.89nm, 0.16, 73.15%, and -15.65mV, respectively. Further the optimized liquid SNEDDS were solidified through spray drying using various hydrophilic and hydrophobic carriers. Among the various carriers, Aerosil 200 was found to provide desirable flow, compression, disintegration and dissolution properties. Both, liquid and solid-SNEDDS have shown release of >90% within 10min. The formulation was found stable with change in pH, dilution, temperature variation and freeze thaw cycles in terms of droplet size, zeta potential, drug precipitation and phase separation. Crystalline PPK was observed in amorphous state in solid SNEDDS when characterized through DSC and PXRD studies. The biochemical, hematological and histopathological results of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats shown promising antidiabetic potential of PPK loaded in SNEDDS at its both the doses (i.e. 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg) as compared to its naive form at both the doses. The study revealed successful formulation of SNEDDS for oral delivery of PPK.

Male and female drivers exhibit different degrees of vehicle control while driving under the influence of alcohol. However, this interaction between alcohol and gender is understudied. The present study examined the effects of different alcohol levels on the driving control of male and female drivers with the help of driving simulator experiments in heterogeneous traffic conditions.Forty young drivers (20 males and 20 females) completed simulated driving at four Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels: 0% (control), 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.08%. Driving impairment in vehicle control was measured in terms of average speed, acceleration variability and reaction time of drivers. Repeated-measures ANOVA tests were conducted and regression models were developed for male and female drivers to quantify the effects of BAC levels and driver characteristics on the driving control measures.Significant effects of gender were observed for average speed (p 0.001) and acceleration variability (p = 0.015) but not for reaction time of drivers (p = 0.891). Further, the effect of BAC was significant in all the three measures of vehicle control (p 0.001). Driving control improved with increasing age of male drivers while caffeine consumption was observed as an alcohol-antagonizing factor in female drivers.The findings suggest that vehicle control of female drivers is more likely to get affected even at low BAC levels, providing evidence that they belong to critical section of driving community in terms of alcohol-related impairment. The findings may help in discouraging drinking and driving among male and female drivers.

Here, we report two novel water-stable amine-functionalized MOFs, namely IISERP-MOF26 ([NH

An attempt has been made to prepare solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) of polypeptide-k (PPK) and curcumin (CRM) using Labrafil M1944 CS as oil, Tween-80 as surfactant, Transcutol P as cosurfactant and Aerosil-200 (A-200) as porous hydrophobic carrier for improving their antidiabetic potential through oral delivery. Box-Behnken Design was used to optimize the liquid formulation based on the results of the mean droplet size, polydispersity index, percentage drug loading, and zeta potential. The formulation was adsorbed on Aerosil-200 through spray drying. The formulation showed desirable micromeritic, disintegration, and dissolution properties. About fivefold rise in the dissolution and permeation rate for drugs was observed from formulations vis a vis their unprocessed forms. The formulation was found to be stable with variation in pH, dilution, and temperature. The individual solid SNEDDS formulation of PPK and CRM and their combination were evaluated for antidiabetic potential and the results were compared with their naive forms on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The results revealed better control of serum glucose level and other biochemical tests, such as liver parameters, lipid profiles, and antioxidant levels, as well as histological evaluation of pancreatic tissues in all the solid SNEDDS formulation as compared with their naive forms.

Background Alcohol-impaired driving is a critical factor leading to traffic crashes worldwide. Since decades, researchers from the developed nations have been investigating the effects of alcohol intoxication on their drivers. However, alcohol effects on the drivers of developing counties remain understudied. The extent of alcohol impairment may vary among the drivers of developed and developing nations due to the differences in drivers’ physiology, driving conditions, drinking habits, policy enforcement and driving attitude. Methods This study examined the effects of different Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels (0%, 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08%) on 75 licensed Indian drivers (56 males and 19 females) with the help of a fixed-base driving simulator. Subjects completed driving simulations for all the BAC levels in a driving environment representing heterogeneous traffic conditions. Performance measures included longitudinal and lateral driving control indicators (obtained from simulator) along with the self-reported physiological changes in the drivers (obtained from questionnaire) with varying BAC levels. Results Mean speed was the only performance measure significantly affected at 0.03% BAC. At 0.05% BAC, mean speed and mean steering wheel angle were the two significantly impaired measures. At 0.08% BAC, all the driving performance measures showed significant impairment except steering wheel angle variability. Physiological characteristics of drivers deteriorated with rising BAC levels. Conclusions Alcohol significantly impaired the physiology of Indian drivers resulting in impairment in their driving performance. Mean speed was the only performance measure significantly affected by all the BAC levels, making it a suitable parameter to detect the alcohol-impaired state of the drivers.

The aim of present study was to co-administer curcumin (CRM) liquisolid pellets and coated duloxetine hydrochloride (DXH) pellets in rats to treat neuropathic pain (NP) associated with chronic constriction injury (CCI). To formulate liquisolid pellets of CRM, it was first dissolved in Tween-80 and then adsorbed on the porous surface of MCC PH102 and Syloid XDP that were used as carrier and coating materials, respectively. Central composite design was used to optimize the liquisolid formulation. The results of powder X-ray diffraction studies, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy showed complete solubility of drug in Tween-80 followed by its complete adsorption on the porous surface of Syloid XDP and MCC PH102. Both DXH and liquisolid CRM powders were converted into pellets using extrusion-spheronization. DXH pellets were further coated with Eudragit S100 to bypass the gastric pH. About 32.31-fold increase in dissolution rate of CRM present in liquisolid formulation was observed as compared to its unprocessed form. Similarly, the dissolution profile in 0.1 N HCl for Eudragit S100-coated DXH showed complete protection of drug for 2 h and complete release after its introduction in buffer medium (0.2 M phosphate buffer pH 6.8). he pharmacokinetic studies carried out on rats revealed 7.3-fold increase in bioavailability of CRM present in liquisolid pellets and 4.1-fold increase in bioavailability of DXH present in coated pellets was observed as compared to their unprocessed pellets. This increase in bioavailability of drugs caused significant amelioration of CCI-induced pain in rats as compared to their unprocessed forms. The histological sections showed better improvement in regeneration of nerve fibers in rats.

Among hydrocarbon pollutants, diesel oil is a complex mixture of alkanes and aromatic compounds which are often encountered as soil contaminants leaking from storage tanks and pipelines or as result of accidental spillage. One of the best ecofriendly approaches is to restore contaminated soil by using microorganisms able to degrade those toxic compounds in a bioremediation process. In the present study, nineteen bacteria were isolated by enrichment culture technique from diesel spilled soil collected from electric generator shed of NBAIM, Mau. All the isolates were subjected to screening for lipase production and twelve isolates were found to be positive for lipase. When the isolates were screened for biosurfactant production using CTAB-methylene blue agar plates, only one isolate viz. 2NBDSH3 was found positive which was found to be phylogenetically closely related with Bacillus flexus. Despite having low emulsification index, the bacterium could degrade 88.6% of diesel oil in soil. Biosurfactant from the isolate was extracted and characterized through infra-red spectroscopy which indicated its possible lipopeptide nature which was further supported by strong absorption in UV range in the UV-Vis spectrum. The results of the present study indicated that the isolate either does not produce any bioemulsifier or produces very low amount of emulsifier rather it produces a lipopeptide biosurfactant which helps in degradation of diesel oil by lowering the surface tension. The bacterium thus isolated and characterized can serve as a promising solution for ecofriendly remediation of bacterium diesel contaminated soils.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in change in both commute and personal travel patterns. Though, in India, lockdown was implemented from 25th March 2020, due to self-awareness and pandemic risk perception, change in commuter behavior was observed from the beginning of March 2020. The period from 15th to 24th March 2020 is considered as the transition phase of COVID-19 outbreak in India (i.e., between no lockdown and lockdown period). This study attempts to use a decision tree approach to investigate the modal preference of 1542 commuters in association with socio-economic and travel characteristics, and safety perceptions with respect to public and private modes during transition to lockdown due to COVID-19 in India. About 41% of commuters stopped travelling during the transition to lockdown phase, 51.3% were using the same mode of transport and 5.3% of commuters shifted from public to private mode. The study findings reported different interactions of factors influencing the decision to use public or private modes of transport for daily commuting during pandemic situations like COVID-19. Interestingly, safety perceptions (associated with personal health) of commuters did not play a significant role in their mode choice behavior during the transition phase. Though people perceived public transportation as unsafe over personal vehicle use, the actual commute patterns did not validate this due to a possible reason that commuters do not have enough alternative modes. Given the uncertainties in the decision making of the commuters regarding their travel behavior due to physical distancing, the insights from this study are important to policymakers and local transport authorities to understand the change in travel patterns., Highlights • India went into complete lockdown from 25th March 2020 due to COVID-19 outbreak. • The period between 15th to 24th March 2020 is considered as the transition phase (between no lockdown and lockdown). • Mode choice preferences of 1542 commuters were examined with respect to public and private modes during transition phase in India. • Safety perception of commuters did not play a significant role in mode choice behaviour during the transition phase. • Study insights are important to the policymakers and transport authorities to understand the change in travel patterns.

Speeding behaviour is known to influence crash risk among alcohol-impaired drivers, but this relationship is scarcely explored. The present study investigated the effects of different Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BAC) levels on driving performance with respect to mean speed of drivers and their ability to avoid crashes during sudden events while driving. Eighty-two drivers participated in the simulation driving experiment at four BAC levels (0%, 0.03 %, 0.05 % and 0.08 % BAC) in rural and urban driving scenarios. Two sudden events (pedestrian crossing and road crossing by parked vehicles (a car and a truck) in the perpendicular direction of traffic) were designed to evaluate the crash probabilities in both the driving scenarios. Generalized linear mixed models were developed to analyse the effects of BAC levels and driver attributes (e.g., age, gender) on mean speeds and crash probabilities. Results for mean speed showed that, compared to sober state, drivers drove 3.5 kmph, 5.76 kmph and 8.78 kmph faster at 0.03 %, 0.05 % and 0.08 % BAC respectively in the rural environment and this increment was 3.6 kmph, 3.69 kmph and 4.13 kmph in the urban environment. The model results for crash probabilities revealed that 0.03 %, 0.05 % and 0.08 % BAC levels increased the crash probabilities by 1.9 times, 2 times and 3 times in case of the rural environment and 2 times, 2.3 times and 3.5 times respectively in the urban driving environment.

Significant clinical success of colon targeted dosage forms has been limited by their inappropriate release profile at the target site. Their failure to release the drug completely in the colon may be attributed to changes in the colonic milieu because of pathological state, drug effect and psychological stress accompanying the diseased state or, a combination of these. Alteration in normal colonic pH and bacterial picture leads to incomplete release of drug from the designed delivery system. We report the effectiveness of a targeted delivery system wherein the constant replenishment of the colonic microbiota is achieved by concomitant administration of probiotics along with the polysaccharide based drug delivery system. Guar gum coated spheroids of sulfasalazine were prepared. In the dissolution studies, these spheroids showed markedly higher release in the simulated colonic fluid. In vivo experiments conducted in rats clearly demonstrated the therapeutic advantage of co-administration of probiotics with guar gum coated spheroids. Our results suggest that concomitant use of probiotics along with the polysaccharide based delivery systems can be a simple strategy to achieve satisfactory colon targeting of drugs.

The most extensively used test for predicting in-vivo release kinetics of a drug from its orally administered dosage forms is dissolution testing. For polysaccharide based, colon targeted oral delivery systems, the entire path of the gut traversed by the dosage form needs to be simulated for assessing its in-vivo dissolution pattern. This includes the dissolution testing sequentially in simulated gastric fluid (SGF), simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) and simulated colonic fluid (SCF). For SGF and SIF, simple and standardized composition is well-known. However, preparation of SCF requires addition of either the colonic contents of rodents or human faecal slurry. A method is proposed, wherein a mixture of five probiotics cultured in the presence of a prebiotic under anaerobic conditions is able to surrogate the colonic fluid. Release profiles of drug from colon targeted delivery systems in this medium were studied and compared to those generated in the conventionally used media containing rodent caecal contents and human faecal slurry. The results from the three studies were found to be quite similar. These findings suggest that the proposed medium may prove to be useful not only as a biorelevant and discriminatory method but may also help in achieving the 3Rs objective regarding the ethical use of animals.

Objective A major challenge in targeting orally administered drugs to colon is their passage through the long gastrointestinal path comprising highly variant conditions in terms of pH, viscosity, gut motility and microbial flora. Approaches to pH controlled release and microbially triggered release have proved to be successful in achieving colon targeting only to a partial extent. Methods In an attempt to improve targeting, both these approaches have been combined together with the approach of liquisolid technology which, hitherto, remains unexplored for colon targeting. The combination of these three approaches is being reported for the first time to achieve colon targeting along with a burst release of a Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) Class IV drug at the target site. pH controlled polymer, Eudragit® S-100 was used to prevent the release of sulfasalazine in the gastric region while microbially triggered polymers, pectin and guar gum were used to ferry the system through the intestinal region. Results Liquisolid formulation was designed to provide a burst release of sulfasalazine in colon on the digestion of polysaccharide coating. Conclusion The results support the premise that the combination of pH sensitive, microbially triggered polymers and liquisolid formulation technique appears to be a pragmatic approach for colonic delivery of orally administered drugs.